AEW Dynamite 7/23/2025: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "AEW Dynamite," the show where Will Ospreay might be injured and "Hangman" Adam Page is still fighting Jon Moxley over the world title, so it's basically the last stretch of the All In main event all over again! The WINC staff actually doesn't have that much to say about the Page and Moxley of it all this week — we will discuss Page's immensely satisfying beat-down of Wheeler Yuta, but as you're about to find out, we actually have way more to say at the moment about MJF.

As is often the case, we won't be covering everything — we really had no feelings whatsoever about FTR taking the first match in the No. 1 contender's tag tournament — but that's actually what our "Dynamite" results page is for! This column is strictly for our analysis and opinions, which is what you're about to get! Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 7/23/2025 episode of "AEW Dynamite!"

One of the more frustrating aspects of AEW programming is that everyone is, more or less, competitive. In theory, it's an easy way to soothe the egos of losers, and also a way to keep anyone from looking so weak that they become unbelievable challengers, but it can also mean that champions just kind of look like everyone else from a booking standpoint.

Which is why AEW World Champion Hangman Page's quick beating of The Death Riders' young pup, Wheeler Yuta, was such a refreshing change of pace. Yuta's slow-burn push is starting to fizzle out, and I think if he looked competitive with the world champion, it would've stretched the limits of credibility. It sounds sick and twisted to say it, but Hangman was right to bloody Yuta's face and menace him with the threat of a chain-link lynching. The world champion should be, for lack of a better term, intimidating to someone like Yuta, even if the champion is babyface. On a show that featured FTR stretching a match with Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey into three segments, and endless talking, the easy-breezy win stood out that much more.

Yuta's arc is clear: someday, he will be fed up with being The Death Riders' punching bag/human shield. He will tire of getting abused by both sides of the heel/face alignment, and he will snap. When he finally has a competitive match with Hangman. We will not believe in him, and he will make us believe, through sheer force of will, and the choices made tonight will make it all the better, because we will remember a time when he was the champion's plaything.

Written by Ross Berman

When Ospreay appeared on Wednesday's episode of "AEW Dynamite" to give an injury update, I thought we were getting a goodbye address. Apparently, Ospreay's neck had been bothering him for ten months, due in part to two herniated discs in his upper neck (C2 and C6 vertebrae specifically). Anybody would have classified that as a serious injury that would necessitate months away from the ring. Imagine my shock, then, when Ospreay promised to be back on AEW programming by Forbidden Door — a startling month and a day away, from time of writing.

While Cleveland Clinic and other sources claim that herniated discs can heal in four to six weeks with bed rest and non-surgical treatment, I find it very hard to believe that a month of bed rest and physical therapy is going to heal ten months of neck pain caused by two herniated discs — not fractures, but serious — in the unforgiving regions of the upper neck (for reference, Big E's potentially career-ending injury was located at his C1 and C6 vertebrae). Two options exist, and neither are good: either Ospreay is being 100% honest and will risk his long-term health to make Forbidden Door, or there is a bit of working being done to make Ospreay's AEW "comeback" more spectacular.

I will be the first to admit that we know nothing about Will Ospreay's condition, beyond the fact that he has been due for some time off to nurse a reported "minor injury." Nobody knows Ospreay's condition more than Ospreay and his doctors, and they can choose to (or not to) disclose Ospreay's medical history and status at their discretion. However, if Ospreay is being honest about the severity of his injuries, I'm not excited to see him back at Forbidden Door. I know Ospreay loves this ring — that's why I enjoy his work — but it would suck so bad for Ospreay to push an injury to the point of retiring earlier than he has to. I also find it strange that Ospreay would appear on "Dynamite" in-person during his supposed time off in order to make this announcement. He should be at home resting or in physical therapy, not on the road and working.

If Ospreay's condition is not what he claims it to be, that's worse. It is shameless and scummy to so publicly ham up an injury. Keeping the curtains drawn on an injury is one thing. Going out to the world and, to some extent, lying about your health to everyone in order to build up an in-ring moment is another. If this has even an ounce of work mixed into it, you would be better off not showing Ospreay on "Dynamite" at all. Why willingly showcase him and ask him to lie to the fans? I get that he doesn't owe us full transparency, but to use that in order to build more hype around Forbidden Door is trashy.

Some things you just don't work. Serious injury scares like these are one of them.

Written by Angeline Phu

While I always think there could be room for another women's match on "AEW Dynamite," and that was certainly the case tonight with what I thought was yet another pretty lackluster episode following All In, I really loved the short video vignette explaining the company's newest official trio, the Triangle of Madness. While I'm not 100% sold on the name, I liked the fact that AEW followed up on why Skye Blue and Julia Hart interfered during last week's $100,000 four-way fight. 

Hart and Blue interfered on behalf of Thekla and helped her win the match over Queen Aminata, Kris Statlander, and Willow Nightingale. Well, "The Toxic Spider" is now $100K richer and has gained herself two new buddies, even if they're just friends out of necessity. I really like the fact AEW decided to put Thekla with them, as it makes sense for the spooky girl gimmicks to be in a little faction together. Thekla came into AEW with some hype around her, but she hasn't really done too much just yet, so putting her in a stable, especially when it can lead to an interesting feud down the line with Hart, was a good idea.

The video itself was also done really well, especially the writing. The lines were straight fire, from the opening with "Sometimes, poison is the cure," to the last line, which the women almost chanted like a trio of witches, "The last thing you see will be us three." They also explained within the short, and we're talking less than a minute, promo, that they're not friends, they're not sisters, they only have one bond, and they're going to "infest the whole roster." They made it clear that whoever isn't with them, is against them. It was solid, short, sweet, and to the point.

I really like what I've seen of Thekla so far, and I'm a big Hart fan, so I'm intrigued to see where this goes. AEW needed something fresh when it comes to the women's roster outside of the main event picture, so I enjoyed this short, almost teaser-ish video tonight.

Written by Daisy Ruth

It's rare that I will ever write or say this sentence, but AEW's booking actually made sense for once when it comes to their women's division. The idea of Athena wanting Billie Starkz to wear down Toni Storm in their singles match so that she can cash in her contract for an AEW Women's World Championship match works perfectly in the context of the storyline, but that's where the booking stops making sense. For one thing, there was no need to make the match between Storm and Starkz an AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator given that the point of the entire contest was for Starkz to wear down Storm rather than secure a title shot of her own (as was blatantly said by the commentary team).

Moreover, there was nothing wrong with Athena looking to cash in her contract only to be stopped by someone else or the post match beatdown on Storm that she and Starkz launched on her, but Alex Windsor felt like the wrong person to make the save. Yes, she may have an upcoming Ring of Honor Women's World Championship match against Athena on this Saturday's episode of "AEW Collision", but that's the exact reason she shouldn't have made the save. From a character perspective, there's no reason that she wouldn't want to make said title shot for both the Ring of Honor Women's World Championship and AEW Women's World Championship nor would she want to stop Athena from being softened up ahead of their match. There were so many other options in AEW women's division that would've made more sense to choose, and would've given another star some exposure and television time.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

Gone are the days when MJF was the blue-chip prospect and hailed by everyone – myself included, to an extent – as the next best thing, with the former AEW World Champion and progenitor of that Devil storyline now firmly in the days of playing his greatest hits – if those hits were just a single which went viral for being a little different and yet all too familiar, a throwback to the good ol' days. 

MJF really appears to have burned through his material so quickly to the extent that everything feels like something he has said to someone else at a different time, or even when it is unique it is so brazenly scraping the barrel to force shock into an otherwise beige mess. He has hammered home the fact that Jay Briscoe died, trying to make it some form of punchline when in actuality it wasn't just Mark's brother in said car accident, but also his nieces – both of whom lost their father that night – and another completely unrelated person in the other car who died. So when does this become a "Loved" column, you ask? (or not, I guess)

Well, like this writer in particular, Bobby Lashley appears to have finally grown tired of MJF being, well, MJF, also. Within the scope of the admittedly thin narrative that has been the Hurt Syndicate and MJF, this is at least a step in the right direction to actually bring some catharsis to hurting people. This was also a segment involving Lashley, perhaps the most believably dangerous wrestler not named in a lawsuit, and his sudden switch to throw MJF against the wall sold a genuine energy shift, raising frankly exceptional points with MJF blatantly using the Hurt Syndicate to get to "his" World Championship. 

Remember when CM Punk called MJF a less good Miz? One could hope that there is a grand scheme to deliver on that parallel, with MJF poised to cash in on the world title and Lashley breathing down his neck. Sometimes history repeating itself can be a good thing, and although it might be damning that the veteran would be a better option in the main event right now, it is also true and holds a bit of potential. Also, as said, MJF is far from interesting right now, so giving him something other than pointing out that Mark Briscoe's brother died would be an improvement at the very least. 

In any case, I am sick of MJF and whatever his character is supposed to be at this moment in time – Edge-lord incarnate would be my hypothesis – and even a sliver of the prospect of Lashley throwing him around feels like the right course of action. Here's hoping it doesn't come with weeks of pandering and inconsequential feuds, just please do something interesting to the man that pushed himself down everyone's throats as the future of the business, because that is coming off as a bold-faced lie right now.

Written by Max Everett

Every week, I find the kosher pickle joke less funny. Every week, I find less faith in MJF.

MJF and Mark Briscoe have been at each others' throats since before All In, with Briscoe's bodyshaming jabs towards his rival often being met with mumbles and bumbles from MJF before boom: dead brother mention. When Briscoe approached the ring to confront MJF on Wednesday's episode of "AEW Dynamite," I expected much of the same (what, like they had done anything remotely substantial in this feud so far). When Briscoe made yet another kosher pickle joke (play the laugh track), I found myself tuning in and out of the broadcast, resigned to the worst.

MJF began to bite back, and I mean bite. He downplayed Briscoe's accomplishments, he labeled Briscoe as a bumpkin who was liked by everybody and loved by nobody. He dismissed Briscoe's potential to be a "top guy" in AEW. With his heelish words, MJF was simultaneously putting Briscoe over as the underdog while also showing shades of his former promo glory. For a moment, it almost seemed that we were back to prime MJF — that MJF who would appear weekly to flame his championship contenders. MJF began to bite back, before he succumbed to the same played-out dead brother jab. The feeling of disappointment nearly crushed me.

Listen, I don't like MJF. However, I can acknowledge that his reputation as an on-the-mic menace is well-deserved. I know that MJF's character has enthralled people: I know that his commitment to kayfabe and his status as a heel is commendable. However, MJF has, recently, not had the same bite that he is revered for. He is not same scathing presence on the microphone that he used to have. He has been made into a joke — just a guy trying to fit in to whatever program will take him (Jeff Jarrett, Hurt Syndicate). Before, it felt like you had to work to have a program with MJF. Now, it feels like MJF has to work to have a program with you. MJF has fallen off.

MJF has fallen off, which is why I was excited to see glimpses of his old, ruthless self. I don't like MJF, but I want him to do well, because it's good for AEW. When MJF began to discredit Briscoe (a heel move to up both of their cred as the villain and underdog respectively), I was so ready to Love his mic work, up until he went back to the same dead brother playbook (the playbook we know is not working). You can have a feud with Mark without bringing up the late Jay. MJF is more creative than that. He has shown us that he is more creative than that. It was such a let-down to be teased with a return to MJF mic glory, only to be met with a return to sorry form.

I don't like MJF, but I want to see him at his prime. This is far from MJF's prime.

Written by Angeline Phu